TOUR-GIVEAWAY- HERO OF MINE- CODI GARY

The men of Alpha Dog, a second
chance program for at-risk teens, work hard and play hard. And when it comes to
protecting the women they love . . . nothing stands in their way.

Danielle Hill used to live on the wild side, until a surprise pregnancy forced
her to get her act together. Now her whole life revolves around her young son,
and she will do anything to keep Noah’s heart protected, even if it means
avoiding the Marine who makes her want to be oh so bad . . .

Tyler Best loves his family, his friends, and his life, and he plans on living
it to the fullest after nearly losing it. But Tyler didn’t bank on running into
a beautiful blond with blazing green eyes and temper to match his. Tyler always
thought he wasn’t ready to settle down, but Dani and Noah make him rethink his
playboy ways . . .

Only just as these two start to build something, a shadow from Dani’s past
comes back to haunt them. But Tyler will do anything to keep her and Noah safe
. . . anything.

Dani pointed to the far wall of cages,
oblivious to his disgruntlement. “Those are all the dogs whose time here
expires. Feel free to take them out into the holding room”—she indicated a
white door that had a sign reading holding
room— “and do whatever you gotta do.”

Turning her back on him, she squatted
down in front of a large cage and opened it. Tyler bent down to see a massive
gray dog with black spots and stripes. The dog lifted his head slightly, his
floppy ears pricking as she cooed.

“Hey, Fugly, how you doing, bud?” Dani’s
hand glided over the dog’s head and neck, and he relaxed back on his side with
a whimper.

“What happened to him?” Tyler asked.

“Someone hit him with their car. A yard
crew behind them stopped and picked him up, brought him here, but there’s only
so much I can do. The X-rays show he needs leg surgery, but my regular doctor
is off today, and the prick subbing for him won’t do a damn thing to help.”

Tyler came closer, squatting behind her.
The dog lifted his head and met Tyler’s gaze with soft green-gray eyes. Rex’s
eyes had been a dark brown, nearly black, but the expression in this dog’s eyes
was still the same—filled with trust. This dog wasn’t afraid of humans; he
expected them to help him, to ease his pain.

Tyler’s chest clenched. Although he’d
trained several dogs since Rex, he hadn’t experienced this pull, this kinship.
This big, gray dog was calling to him, and he couldn’t ignore it, no matter how
crazy it seemed.

“Release him to me.”

Dani spun his way so fast, she nearly
knocked him back. “What?”

“Release him to me, and I’ll run him
down to my veterinarian. They’ll go over the extent of his injuries and let me
know what he needs.”

Dani stared at him, her gaze wary. “Why
would you do that? And what about the dogs you’re supposed to evaluate?”

What the hell was he doing? He wasn’t even sure the dog was trainable, let alone
what his injuries were.

But he could still remember Rex’s body
as it cooled and stiffened in his arms. There had been nothing he could do to
help Rex, but he could help this dog.

“If you will run interference for me
with that guy, I’ll drive . . .” Tyler hesitated to call the dog the bullshit
name. “I’m sorry; he needs a better name than Fugly.”

Dani laughed, but her voice shook a bit
as though she might cry. “The workers that brought him in were calling him
that.”

“Not anymore. Whatever his name is, I’ll
drive him up there, drop him off, and come back here. If his owners show up,
you can give me a call.”

“I don’t have your number.” She closed
the cage door and stood up.

“The front desk has it, but do you have
your phone on you?” he asked.

“Yeah, I’ll go get it.” She left the
room, and Tyler studied the dog. He was probably a good hundred and fifty
pounds, which wouldn’t be a problem to carry, but if he had more injuries they
couldn’t see, Tyler was concerned about jostling him around and doing more
damage. He’d ask Dani if they had a stretcher when she got back.

She came back through the doors and
handed him her phone. “Here.”

Tyler stood up, staring at the screen
saver of a smiling toddler with his arms wrapped around Dani’s neck. Well,
shit, that sent whatever attraction he’d had crashing to the ground. He had
three rules for hooking up: Be honest from the get-go, no sleeping over, and definitely
no repeats within the same week. And then there were the types of women he
steered clear from.

No
crazies. No attached or married women. And definitely no single moms.

No ifs, ands, or buts about it. He had
watched his own mom get screwed over enough times to know that if you weren’t
ready, just stay far away.

Clearing his throat, he swiped his thumb
over to her contacts and put in his information. “Cute kid.”

“Thank you.”

“He yours?” he asked.

“Yes, he’s mine.”

Was it just him, or did she sound defensive?

“How old is he?” Tyler handed the phone
back to her, disappointed that she was off limits.

“He’s almost two.” Dani slipped her
phone into her pocket. Her curt responses told him she didn’t want to discuss
her child with a complete stranger, and he couldn’t blame her.

Apparently, he was just a nosy,
interfering bastard today.

“About Fugly. I was going to just carry
him out, but I’m afraid of causing more damage.”

“He doesn’t have internal bleeding, at
least not that showed up on the X-rays. Most of the impact from the car
occurred on his back end. Plus, I gave him a dose of pain meds when he first
came in, and it should last him a while.”

“Okay then, you get the door, and I’ll
get the dog.”

Dani unlocked the cage again and
unhooked the dog’s IV, wrapping the tubing over the mobile pole by the cage. As
gently as he could, Tyler reached in and picked up the dog, who tried to thrash
for half a second before Tyler spoke firmly. “Stay.”

The dog stilled, and Tyler stood up with
him in his arms. “It’s gonna be okay, boy.”

Dani opened the doors as they went, but
once they got to the lobby, Lab Coat Guy spotted them and spluttered, “What do
you think you’re doing?”

Dani puffed up. “He’s taking the dog to
his vet, since you won’t do anything to help him.”

Tyler had to admire the set of balls on
Dani as every eye in the room swung on Lab Coat, pinning him with accusation.

“I didn’t say anything like that. I told
you his prognosis wasn’t good and he was suffering.”

“And I wanted a second opinion, so we’re
getting one.”

Tyler grinned, following Dani out the
door. Pausing for half a second, Tyler gave Lab Coat a warning look. “I haven’t
had a chance to evaluate the dogs yet. They’d better all be there when I get
back.”

Lab Coat swallowed hard, and as she
closed the door, Dani laughed. “I think he just pissed himself.”

When the warmth of her hand pushed into
his pocket and grabbed his keys, he couldn’t help his physical reaction. It was
just too close to the groin, and the way she pressed with seeking fingers
against him was enough to give him a semi. Despite it being October, it was
still in the mideighties in Sacramento, and Tyler could feel beads of sweat
dribbling down the sides of his face as she continued her search; he told
himself it was just the heat getting to him.

Luckily, she hadn’t seemed to notice,
and once she found the keys, she unlocked the doors and pulled open the back
door of the Alpha Dog van.

“Hang on.” She ran back inside while
Tyler waited, the dog’s weight making his arms burn.

Suddenly, she was back and climbing past
him into the backseat of the van.

“What are you doing?” he asked.

“Isn’t it obvious? I’m coming with you.
You’re going to need someone to hold onto him while you drive, and besides,”
she said, her expression a soft mask of worry, “I don’t want him to be alone
and scared.”

Tyler nodded, knowing exactly what she
meant. He’d been rescuing dogs his whole life, much to his parents’
exasperation. He remembered the first dog he’d brought home at nine, a skinny
black dog with matted fur and a rank odor. When his mom had told him he
couldn’t bring the dog inside, he’d teared up and told her, “But, Mom, he’s so
hungry and scared.” His mom had caved like a big old softy, and his dad left,
coming back with food, bowls, and a collar and leash. He’d named the dog
Barney, and he’d been the start of Tyler’s love of dogs.

The fact that Dani appeared to have the
same passion made him like her more. Cute, funny, didn’t take shit from anyone?
Plus, he’d bet his last dollar she was great in bed.

But the tiny, smiling little boy on her
phone screen was like a big fat stop sign. He didn’t do single moms—at least,
not when he knew about the kid.

Laying the dog gently into the back, he
watched her settle his head in her lap and begin stroking his gray coat.
Suddenly, she looked up at Tyler, those green eyes filled with gratitude and .
. . Hell, he had no idea, but it was a first for him.

“Thank you.”

Tyler slammed the door to the van
without responding, grabbing the keys out of the passenger door.

Tyler
Best, bleeding-heart dog rescuer.

He climbed up into the driver’s seat,
preparing to take off.

“Really, why are you doing this?” she
asked from behind him.

Adjusting the mirror so he could see
her, he gave the only answer that made sense. “Why not?”

An obsessive bookworm, Codi
Gary likes to write sexy contemporary romances with humor, grand gestures, and
blush-worthy moments. When she’s not writing, she can be found reading her
favorite authors, squealing over her must-watch shows, and playing with her
children. She lives in Idaho with her family.

What makes your hero, Tyler
Best, heroic?
Best is heroic cause he has an amazing heart underneath all that womanizing
charm...and when he cares, he is a force to be reckoned with. Dani thinks Best
is heroic because of the way he treats her son, Noah. Although she tries to
keep her distance, but when Best catches Noah, that was the moment she truly
softened toward him.

What makes your heroine,
Dani Hill, heroic?

Dani is heroic to me because she always puts her son, Noah, first.
She makes mistakes like we all do, but she truly wants to be a good mom. That's
all any of us can hope for, right?

Name one thing you must
have while writing? Why is it essential to you?

My music, because it helps set my mood for the manuscript and
inspire scenes as I go.

What’s your favorite
military romance on film?

I would probably have to go with The Lucky One because it has a
happy ending. Most military romances on film don’t.

What is one fun fact about
Best we won’t find out in the book?
When he's on leave in July, Best goes to San Diego Comic Con and sits in on the
panels, especially the Whedon ones. ;-)

My favorite line from Best is, "You should be apologizing to
the great Joss Whedon, not to me." Mostly because I like the closet nerd
aspect of this super cool guy.

Celebrity cast your heroine
Dani!

Caroline from The Vampire Diaries for my Dani inspiration,
especially with her hair in a ponytail. Plus, she has the perfect combo of
tough and vulnerable.

Who’s a writer you admire?

Julia Quinn because she can blend humor, emotion, and romance so
well. My goal is to do the same with ease, just like her.

What’s a book people should
read once they’ve finished HERO OF MINE!

If you haven’t read Ignite by Karen Erickson, it is a wonderful
start to her Wildwood series, which is phenomenal!